Skeptimediais a commentary on
mass media treatment of issues concerning science, the
paranormal, and the supernatural.

Stupid politicians and cops

No, this is not a
story about
Sarah Palin and
Bernard Kerik.
It is about a California state senator named Mark Leno (D-San
Francisco) and several Chicago police officers. The senator
wants to play at protector of the people by putting warnings on
cell phones and the cops want to play at being paranormal
investigators and TV stars in their off hours. Let's begin with
the cops. Larry Potash of WGN did a nice piece on the cops:
Paranormal Detectives. Regular cops trade in their guns for
EMF detectors and infrared cameras as they investigate places
thought to be haunted. One of them claims ghosts give off energy
that can be detected by an EMF detector. Did he read that in the
instructions? I doubt it. Why not use a hydrometer? Maybe ghosts
give off moisture. Why not use a compass? Maybe ghosts have
magnetic fields that point to true north. The cops seem unaware
that police radios or a number of other things could affect
their EMF detectors.

It is disturbing that
grown men who work by day as police officers are wasting their
time investigating things that go bump in the night. It is even
more disturbing to find that their bosses approve. When it was
pointed out to both cops and bosses that somebody might question
their credibility in court if it were known that these guys were
ghost chasers, the boss interviewed said they'd cross that
bridge if they ever get to it. (For the idiot who is about to
write me to say that he says no such thing, let me clarify. The
boss doesn't use those exact words. He says something to the
effect that they've discussed the issue and they'll discuss it
again if the credibility issue is ever brought up in court.)

Not only does WGN
question the work of the paranormal detectives and wonder about
the negative effect such activity might have on public
confidence in the competence of its police officers, it brings
in skeptic
James Underdown to show an alternative way to do a
paranormal investigation. The skeptical way involves having a
toolkit with critical thinking as the chief investigative tool, a much more valuable tool than
an EMF detector for such work. The scientific paranormal
investigator looks for a natural explanation for unusual sounds,
drafts, closing of doors, etc. The other kind of paranormal
investigator is the kind you are likely to see on television
shows like "Paranormal State." They bring in tape recorders, EMF
detectors, video cameras, and a few other devices and set to
work calling anything that affects their devices a ghost. When
these investigators hear a gate close behind them, they think
ghost rather than wind.

The Chicago cops seem
sincere in their belief that their investigations might have
some value, and they're willing to be made a laughingstock for
their activities, at least as long as their bosses condone their
foolishness. The California state senator, however, is most
likely not as stupid as he appears. He probably is aware that
the evidence is not there yet to support putting warnings on
cell phones. It is more likely that he is
a cynic who thinks the average citizen is a moron who will fall
for his phony claim to be concerned about protecting us.

While we are at it, let's institute another
label warning. This warning should be prominently tattooed on
the forehead of Leno and others of his ilk who pretend to be
solving real state problems. The warning would be: "Warning: I
am a state bureaucrat and am capable of creating endless,
meaningless legislation that will divert attention from the
fact that I am incapable of dealing with the real issues of
California. I will, of course, hold pompous news conferences
to promote unnecessary legislation and boost my image."

Mark Leno said in his
press conference that cell phones are wonderful devices, but
"they also emit radio-frequency radiation, which does have human
health effects." Apparently, ghosts also emit radio-frequency
radiation, but that doesn't worry the Chicago paranormal
detectives. I wonder if Leno has considered the effect on cell
phones when ghosts take up residence in them? Would they emit
modulated radiation in the unhealthy range? Can these waves be
picked up by tape recorders and be used as proof of life after
death? Where does the nonsense end?